10. To Catch A Predator (Dateline): I don't know if this is really a fad, but it was a show that was on non-stop. If you haven't seen it, they have people chat online with potential predators, pretending to be underage females. They then lure the sicko men into meeting with them, and the host of the TV show is there to greet the sickos instead of a lonely young girl. Once they try to leave the house, they get arrested and thrown into jail.

Rating: One thumb up, one down. It's good to clean up the streets, but the show got old after awhile.

9. YouTube: I swear, I must have gotten 500 emails this year from people telling me about videos I should watch on youtube. I just don't care folks. I don't have the time to watch every single piece of webjunk out there, nor do I have the motivation. This crap was so popular that even people who don't know shit about computers (like my uncle) had even watched some videos on it.

Rating:two thumbs down (get a life, people)

8. Gauchos: For some reason, these pants got irritatingly popular among girls (and some guys...shudder) this year. I don't really love them, since they make it look like the girl is trying to hide something (namely fat thighs). Last time I checked, gauchos were only popular with my old female relatives (that very reason)....

Rating: two thumbs way down

7. Big sunglasses: Greg already touched on this topic and I have to agree. They suck. The girls on Laguna Beach all wear them, which I am sure helped popularize them. But let me tell you, it's not a good thing to hide your face behind the glasses: either you are ugly and know it and are trying to hide it or you are insecure in your looks and feel the need to hide. Either way, you're not fooling anyone. Take them off or wear normal sunglasses like normal folks.

Rating: two thumbs down

6. Mentos and Pepsi: I had heard of the Mentos and Pepsi bottle rocket before, but this year, it seemed like it was everywhere I looked. I saw it on TV, on internet videos (refer to fad #9, one of the few I watched), and on pictures people sent me. I'm all for science experiments and messing around, but only if it's not totally trite. This didn't used to be, but now it sort of is.

Rating: one thumb up, one thumb down (it still is cool to blow shit up)

5. Txt: This year, there were so many commericals for texting plans, phones that have keypads to use to text, places you can text to get ringtones, jokes, and anything else. Texting was everywhere. I admit, it is easy to communicate with people when you can't talk (class, meetings, maybe during a test). But seriously people, don't waste my time and money with a text that says "hi." Say something of value. No "whazzups," just text with information like "tee time is at Pebble at 10:29 PM."

Rating: one thumb up, one thumb down

4. Rachel Ray: She wrote more books, had her normal Food Network shows, and started a talk show this year. Her face was plastered on crackers, displays, and all over the media. I admit she's a decent looking female (check out the FHM pictures if you don't believe me), but I can only take so much of her. Back off, Rachel Ray...but maybe keep writing recipes since most of them are good (some suck though- like your onion salad I tried. Pure vomit).

Rating: one thumb up, one thumb down

3. Sudoku: I had never heard of this game before this year, but then all of a sudden, this shit was everywhere. I tried it. I wasn't impressed. I can do it, but it doesn't interest me. And I do like math games and logic puzzles, but this is lame. I'm sorry. It's like the illiterate person's version of a crossword. Get smarter, use your words.

Rating: two thumbs down

2. Game shows: This year, there were so many new game shows: Deal or No Deal, Identity, The Rich List, 1 vs. 100 to name a few. Maybe it's just me, but I just can't get into any of them. They just don't hold my attention. Maybe if I was going to win the money, I would be interested. But I'm not, so I don't care. The 1 vs. 100 show is interesting, but I cannot believe that so many people are so stupid (the "mob" misses questions like the capital of California ).

Rating: one thumb up, one thumb down (because what if I was winning that money?)

1. Video games consoles: The XBOX 360, the PS3, and the Wii. What more can I say? People went crazy on eBay for the arrival of all three, especially the PS3. I cannot believe people will spend $2,000 on video games. Jesus. I mean, yeah they're fun, but so is human interaction (and I don't mean the kind online). And it's a waste of money when you can buy a new 360 for $350 and the graphics are basically the same.

Rating: one thumb up, one thumb down- I can't give it two down because I have a 360 ;)

Sucking Hind Teat

When I was younger, I had a heart beat known as a normal sinus arrhythmia, meaning that the pacemaker cells in my heart created an abnormal, but benign heartbeat. I haven't had it checked out since I was 10 or so. We are on the cardiovascular system in pharmacy school now, so when the chance came around to get a free stress EKG (ECG or electrocardiogram) doen, I took the professors up on it. They usually run about $400-$500, so at $0, how could I turn it down?

A stress EKG consists of placing electrodes on different points on the chest and connecting the leads to the computer so it can detect electrical changes that occur due to the impulses in the heart (that cause contraction and relaxation). Anyways, you start out laying down, then you sit up, hyperventilate (to stimulate cardiac stress, this prevents really sick people from getting on the treadmill and dying without warning).

So then I had to get on the treadmill and start walking. It starts out nice and slow (stage 1). The stages increase the incline and speed every 3 minutes (I got to the end of stage 5). I was basically sprinting at the end, but remarkably enough, my legs weren't dying. I was at an 18% grade, sprinting my little chicken legs off and the teacher stopped me because he was concerned about my heart rate.

Supposedly, your maximum heart rate is 220 minus your age (mine should be 199). I hit 218. Whoops. I guess my heart is small, so it compensates by beating faster. That's a normal response, so my heart checked out as being normal. Yay! Below are a couple scans of my EKG paper (first one is at rest, second is somewhere in the middle, and the third one is when I was sprinting- notice how fast the peaks are coming, also known as QRS complexes). Look at the bottom of each picture, at the line with the II next to it.:

And now for some funny things said by and about the teacher for the EKG stress test:

"Anyone know what a SWAG is? It's a Scientific Wild-Ass Guess...and you just made one. Nice work."

He was talking about people with heart disease and described them as "sucking hind teat on the ventricular cow."

Oh, and he had a huge moose knuckle the entire time we were in class. Try not laughing at that.

But after the testing was all over, it looked like I had been attacked by a land-loving octopus.

Missed Kitty Petting Time

I only had two "finals" this semester. I say "finals" because they weren't really finals; they were just normal tests. Anyhow, my more important one was on Tuesday (cardiovascular module test). I had one on Friday (the 15th), but it was for my joke of a class taught by an Irish bastard that is not understandable. The class is ridiculous: we "learn" about capshules (capsules) and we esshume (assume) that our answers are right, right right! The teacher is a total douchebag and his tests are just simple. So everyone in the class had a great idea: take the test the Friday of dead week! It's permitted since we are grad students and we can pretty much do whatever the fuck we want. The teacher was up for the test move, since he hates teaching as much as we hate sitting through his class. Everything looked in the green for the test move and I would have been home Wednesday evening (the 13th).

One girl, we'll call her CP, took it upon herself to fuck us all over. She went straight to the dean of the COP (College of Pharmacy) and complained that we were doing something against school policy (last year, when we weren't grad students yet, we had to have an unanimous vote to change things). However, she was wrong because now that we are grad students, majority rules. But of course, she's loud and obnoxious and got her way. Bitch. Her other argument was that she needed more time to study for the ass clown's final. Seriously? There were only 6 handouts. Our real tests have about 20 handouts and cover difficult material. This material had to do with solutions and such. Not hard stuff, let me tell you. I admit, I did study for it because I can't stand taking less than an A in that moron's class. But I probably could have read the handouts once and done just as well. It's not rocket science, it's basic chemistry 101.

I was so pissed off when I heard that CP had gone over the head of the teacher and the rest of her classmates to fuck us all over. Argh! Not only did she cost me precious kitty petting time at home by making me stay in Pocatello 3 days longer, she also fucked me over on my drive home. I had to drive through Vegas on a Saturday night, instead of a nice Wednesday night. Also, the Cajon Pass had shitty weather (whereas Wednesday night was beautiful). Wonderful. Here's a pic to show some of the weather that I should never have had to face (as well as the snow plow that passed me after I was out of the worst of it, my truck's dirty hood, and a wrecked truck):

It took me 14 hours and 35 minutes to get home (the trip usually takes 12 to 13 hours). So she basically cost me three days in Pocatello and 2 hours on my drive (not to mention the extra gas). It snowed for a good two hours, I had to drive 30 mph for 3 hours, and it rained for most of the rest of the trip. The Cajon Pass was slick as a freshly waxed car and I had to drive 45 mph on it. Sucked ass. And to emphasize just how long that trip is, here is a list of all the CDs I was able to listen to (fully, not skipping any songs):

Rise Against: Siren Song of the CountercultureAshley Angel Parker: Soundtrack to Your LifePapa Roach: The Paramour SessionsUnwritten Law: Here's to the MourningJimmy Eat World: Bleed AmericanStory of the Year: In The Wake of DeterminationJack's Mannequin: Everything in TransitMudvayne: Lost and FoundHidden in Plain View: Life in DreamingA Thorn For Every Heart: Things Aren't So Beautiful NowAcceptance: PhantomsSystem of a Down: MezmerizeYellowcard: Ocean AvenueAmber Pacific: The Possibility and the PromiseJohn Mayer: Room For SquaresThe All American Rejects: Move AlongThe Academy Is...: Almost HereNew Found Glory: Catalyst

And to top all of that off, CP is on the student management committee with me and another girl. So she is the voice of the class. I really don't think she is a good representative of our class: we're not bitchy and obnoxious like she is. So yeah, I have to be civil with her on the committee even though I would love to run her down with my truck.

Here are some excerpts from an email that a fellow student sent out regarding CP's bitchiness:

"...On behalf of the p-2 class I would like to thank those of you who took it upon yourselves to ignore the majority of our class..."

"...Seriously, stop the selfishness..."

"...Since we now have graduate status, we don't have to abide by university policy for changing a test, it is up to the instructor to decide, and Dr E said in plain English (with an accent) that whatever day the MAJORITY of the class wanted to take it, he would move it to (again you would have to be in class to know this). Chris (class president, back row, red hair) confirmed this policy with Dr. C and proceeded to not only email us, but call everyone who didn't respond to his emails so he could know what the MAJORITY of the class wanted to do..."

And that reminds me....Chris, my ex-roomie, did call every person in class to ask their opinion on the matter and the backstabbing bitch CP still went ahead and fucked him over too. Bah. Some people have absolutely no tact.

Cold + BBQ = Frozen Fingers

It was fricking freezing outside, but I really wanted to BBQ some hamburgers. So here I am, BBQ-ing in about 15 degrees. This was a few weeks back, but I felt like putting it on here anyways.

Cell Irony

I was in a computer lab on campus last week, re-listening to lectures to complete my notes when a cell phone went off in the room. First of all, the computer lab was dead silent, people were trying to study (like me), and the guy had the fucking nerve to answer the phone in the room. He wouldn't even leave the room, nor did he seem to have any kind of mastery over the art of whispering. Here is a summary of his end of the conversation:

"Hey."

"I can't talk now, I'm in a computer lab."

"Are you there? We shouldn't be wasting minutes. Are you there?"

(dropped call, so he called the person back!!!)

"Hey, we shouldn't be talking. We're wasting minutes. We only have 30 left for the month. So don't talk anymore unless you have to."

Inane chit-chat for like 10 minutes

"OK, well, we need to get off the phone. Bye."

God, what an asshole. I couldn't believe that he would answer his phone in the middle of a quiet computer lab where people are studying and writing papers. And worst of all, why would you call someone back to tell them not to talk on the phone? Seems counterproductive to me... I would try emailing or texting first...or maybe just waiting and telling them in person to try to cut down on cell phone usage. Gah, the stupidity of people.

A Literal Sign of the Times: Inflation in Pocatello

Boomin' eBay Business

Here is what was waiting for me when I got back to Pocatello after Thanksgiving break: